Wat Rong Khun is actually not a temple. Rather, it is an unconventional and privately owned art-exhibition built in the style of a temple. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat who designed the building details and who has funded most of the construction costs (by now well over USD 1 million).
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| The bridge of the cycle of rebirth leads to the gate of heaven. On the other side of the gate, you enter the ubosot |
The "temple" opened to visitors in 1997, but has only become a major tourist attraction over the past 10 years. It is located around 5 kilometers south of Chiang Rai, so it is within easy reach for any visitor to the city.
Visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the ubosot, but t
he entire back wall is taken up by a painting of a red demon with George Bush in one eye,
and Osama Bin Laden in the other. Inside the mouth of the demon is a
scene depicting the fall of the Twin Towers.
Pop culture references are found dotted throughout the demon’s mouth. They include the Kung Fu Panda, Michael Jackson, Neo from The Matrix, Freddie Krueger, Darth Vader, one of the Transformers, Hello Kitty, the Hulk, Batman, the Joker, Jigsaw from The Saw movies, Ultraman, Spiderman, Superman, a couple of Angry Birds, Harry Potter, and Jack Sparrow.
Confused?
The pamphlet from the gift shop says the painting depicts “the killing of the innocence” by terrorism and fanaticism and that no heroes can save the world.
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